Be Careful What you Wish For
by YamixMuffin
Summary: The 3,000 year old magic is finally at rest. The Millennium Items are gone as are the spirits who inhabited them. Right?
1. And So it Begins

**Hey. Okay i'll just give a brief intro so as not to bore you, though I am sure the majority of you do not read these intros ;P **

**This fic takes place after the Memory World arc when the series is over. The fic will switch off between Bakura, Marik, and Ryou's POVs Point of Views every chapter. This chapter is from Ryou's POV. **

I sighed closing my book that I had only regarded with mild interest

I sighed closing my book that I had only regarded with mild interest. It had been almost a year to the day that life became, normal. The Pharaoh, Atem, had entered the spirit realm and the spirit of the ring was gone. I rested my head on my arms sighing a bit. The others had told me the majority of what had happened in Egypt. It was truly a fascinating tale. However, throughout the story I could not suppress this feeling of longing. Oh how I wished I could have been there. All I could remember was hearing the spirit's voice, then waking up in some room with a giant tabletop RPG set up, much like Monster World. I went to Egypt along with the others and saw Atem leave. I often chide myself about having not said a proper farewell. I, more or less, just stood there. Things were happening too fast. Finally Bakura was gone and I could join in with the others on their next adventure. I was distraught to say the least, when I realized there would be no 'next adventure',

The others were very upset over the 'loss' of Atem. It struck me that I hardly knew who he was. Most every time I came in contact with Yugi's other half I lost control to Bakura. I lifted my head and stood up, pushing my chair in, a scraping noise tearing through the otherwise silent house. My father was away again on another dig in Egypt.

I decided to go for a walk to clear my mind. I thought a lot about what had happened. It was rather remarkable; I found it hard to believe even though I had been 'possessed' by the spirit of the king of thieves, Atem's greatest rival. I knew as much about this spirit, maybe even less than about Atem. All I remembered a few encounters, and was quite happy to be separated from him. I stopped musing and looked around. Out of habit I had begun walking to school. I laughed dryly; it was summer now so the building was empty. I was startled out of my reverie when my cell phone blared severing the heavy silence.

"Hello, this is Bakura Ryou." I answered softly staring up at the star filled sky.

"Hello Ryou, I arrived home a few minutes ago. Where are you?" I heard my father's voice inquire. I jumped to my feet and started jogging back to my place apologizing profusely. How had something as important as my father returning from Egypt slipped my mind? I dashed up the stairs and reached for the door knob, but the door beat me to it and opened from the inside. I stopped to catch my breath and smiled up at my father. I slid off my shoes and stepped in.

"Welcome back! Did you find anything on your dig?" I inquired courteously. My father grinned and began spewing stories about his trip. I listened half mindedly for a while enjoying having company, even if it was my father. After about a half hour I realized that I had not been listening, but mention of a collapsed tomb pulled me into the conversation.

"Only seven of us made it through. We came upon a large stone tablet with golden items inside. Though it is against what I believe in when it comes to archeology, my team and I took the items." He paused and looked up guiltily.

"Th-that is alright dad. Um, what did the um, item you took look like?" I asked. There was no way. My heart began pumping faster. It had to be a coincidence. The likelihood of finding that one tomb in the vast deserts of Egypt was unlikely.

"Remember that ring I found years ago?" he asked, a grin threatening to split his face. I nodded mutely. No way, there was no way that this was happening. My heart failed to agree. My father reached into his suitcase and extracted something wrapped in cloth. He extended the package to me. "Something is telling me that this will mean a lot more to you than it does to me." He chuckled softly. I took the item with caution taking a deep breath before unwrapping the 'gift'. I stared blinking unbelieving at the item. This had to be a dream. The ring was gone. Gone for good. The glowing Millennium Ring that I now held proved me wrong. My father looked to me expectantly. I smiled as brightly as I could.

"That is amazing! It looks exactly like the ring you found before!" I proclaimed, deciding it best not to say that this was the exact same ring. That would require quite a difficult explanation. My father nodded and went into great detail about finding it and what he thought it meant. Meanwhile my mind was racing. I could feel no aura coming from the ring and was relieved. By holding the ring once again and knowing that Bakura was gone, it almost felt as though I had won. As though I had beaten the evil malicious spirit in some way. "Where did the other items go? Do your team members live here in Japan?" My father shook his head.

"I did not choose the members of my team this time. They came from all different parts of the world. To tell you the truth, I do not know where any of them have gone." He exclaimed rubbing the back of his head. "Why do you ask?" he asked looking confused and curious.

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious that is all." I replied lowering my eyes and shifting uncomfortably. Lying was not easy, especially to my father who I rarely saw. He nodded satisfied. We talked idly for a while longer before my father decided to retire to bed.

"I found this old book too. It is written in some ancient language. It is in my bag if you want to see it. Just be careful, it looks like it is three thousand years old!" he joked, yawning again. "Good night son."

"Good night dad. I am glad you are back!" I called to his retreating back. I placed the Millennium ring on the table in front of me and stared. The others had destroyed the spirit, now all that was left of his 'legacy' was this ring. It seemed unreal. I thought this thing was gone for good, now here it was, staring at me through the eyes carved in its center. An eerie glow washed over the ring, I reached for the ring and placed it around my neck. The weight still seemed familiar. I stood lightly and opened my father's backpack to find a black leather bound book with the same eye that was on my ring staring up at me from the cover. The title was written in hieroglyphics. I took the book out gently and opened the book, the yellow pages sporting the same language as the title. I furrowed my brow in frustration, I could not understand a word. I changed into my nightwear, a pair of shots and an overlarge t-shirt. Nothing fancy, but it wasn't like I needed to dress up to go to bed. I dropped into my bed and closed my eyes. A must have dozed off for a while, because I heard another voice.

/Have you forgotten? As long as the Millennium Ring exists, my soul will live forever!/

I sat up quickly, the voice sounding all to familiar. I shook my head, "it was just a dream." I muttered lying back down. I heard laughter reverberating through my room, echoing off the walls.

/I am afraid not./

I shook my head thinking, praying that I was still asleep. "N-no. You were destroyed by Atem and the others." I mumbled pulling the blankets up to my chin. "You, you are not here." I squeaked, as if telling him that he was not here would make him go away.

/Wrong again my little hikari./ Bakura's voice boomed through the room. /The Pharaoh is gone, and the Millennium Items are still here. This seems almost too easy now, does it not?/ I shook my head still denying the fact that Bakura was back. /Now, I am going to see what is inside that book. I have a feeling that it is the book of Black Magic from Kul Elna. Do you know what that means hikari?/

"N-no, what does it mean?" I asked leaning forward in fascinated horror.

/I am not telling. That would ruin the surprise./ he jeered. I felt myself become detached from my body. I felt almost as if I could float away into nothingness. I watched on silently as I stood up and strode to the living room. My hands lifted the book back out of the backpack and began skimming through pages. 'I' stopped on a page.

/Now, isn't this interesting?/ Bakura stated, shock tainting his otherwise cool and calm voice. 'I' walked back into my room.

"What is it? What are you going to do?" I gasped, dread leaving a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.

/Watch./ was his simple one-worded response. He began chanting something in a language I could only assume was Egyptian. A light burst from the Millennium Ring. I was thrown back into my own body, which was currently toppling over my dresser painfully. Bakura's laughter resounded again, but it did not come from everywhere like it had before. It sounded clear, as if… I stood to my feet, using the dresser for support. And it was a good thing I did too, because in front of me stood my exact duplicate, albeit a few inches taller, far more toned, and his eyes were different. He wore a striped t-shirt with a long black jacket. My knees buckled. It took every bit of strength I had to remain on my feet.

"Apparently your 'assistance' is no longer necessary my little hikari," Bakura stated calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked to me and smirked, beginning to close in on me. I backed away into a shadowed part of my room. My back hit something solid, and warm, and… breathing. Before I had a chance to scream a hand was pressed over my mouth, another wrapped around my torso, pining my arms to my sides, preventing me from running. I thrashed around madly, but it was pointless. I thought it was Bakura, but that was impossible. He was standing in front of me. 'What if there is two of him?' I thought frantically and panicked. Judging by the confused scowl on Bakura's face I figured he was as confused as I was. I gave another desperate lunge forward but was held still. Laughter radiated from behind me. My captor's chest vibrated with the deep menacing laughter. I shuddered involuntarily, paralyzed with horror.

"How did you come back? You were damned to the Shadow Realm." Bakura growled stepping forward, menacing fury flashing through his eyes. My heart had stopped beating, and I could not breath. Who came back from the Shadow Realm? I closed my eyes trying to fight down my horror induced tears from falling. 'Let this be a dream. Please let this be a dream.' I prayed.

"You assume that you are the only one who knows how to use the powers of the Millennium Ring? How like you. When I possessed this Ring-" at this he removed the arm from my torso and lifted the golden pendant that hung round my neck. I assumed it was a male, judging by his voice and flat chest. He dropped the Ring from his grasp, the item swinging back and bouncing off my chest, the spikes at the bottom making a jumbled wind chime like noise. "I sealed a part of my soul into the ring. Now, thanks to you, I am free and have a body of my own. I have to thank you for that Bakura." My captor's voice jeered. He began laughing again. I opened my eyes to see Bakura scowl and yet another step forward. Bakura now stood so close that I could see every detail of his menacing chocolate brown eyes. I swallowed hard and took in a jagged breath. A smirk soon replaced Bakura's scowl.

"I am afraid you are too late to destroy the Pharaoh, Marik. He is gone." Bakura smirked eerily.

"That is no longer what I seek. You see, I know every detail of what happened in the Pharaoh's memory world. I am here to collect the items and gain ultimate power." Marik retorted. My mind raced. Marik? How could he have sealed a part of his soul in the Ring? And wasn't his voice different? The wheels started turning in my head. This was not the Marik I knew. He was the evil darker half that Marik had created. I had never met him, I was in the Shadow Realm, or at least that is what Yugi said.

"It appears that there will be a problem. I have the same objective in mind." Bakura stated.

"Well then I assume me possessing the Millennium Ring will create quite a bit of difficulty." Marik stated. With that he lowered the hand from my mouth and jerked on the Millennium Ring, the leather strip snapping easily. "Sending you to the Shadows would be simple enough."

Bakura stiffened a bit, his smirk looking a bit forced. "Have you not learned? I cannot be destroyed." Bakura snarled. "Now, hand over the Ring Marik."

"Not a chance thief." Marik smirked dangling the ring in front of me, swinging it from side to side. 'This has to be a nightmare. Wake up wake up wake up wake up.' I pleaded inwardly trying again to break free. I took a breath planning on screaming. Before I could make a noise Bakura had cocked his head to the side and spoke.

"I would stay silent if I were you. We wouldn't want your father interfering now would we? That could be fatal on his part," Bakura jeered. I shut my mouth, another ton of lead dropped to my stomach. Bakura looked back up to Marik and frowned. "I suppose we can make a deal." Bakura offered confidently.

"And what do you have that would be worth this 'deal'?" Marik spat, clearly unamused.

"Simple. I know far more on this subject than you do." Bakura stated, Marik opened his mouth to say something but Bakura beat him to it "Plus, my hikari's father could track down each and every item, making finding them much easier."

Marik remained silent for a moment; I assumed that he was thinking over the offer. "Fine." He stated simply.

"Oh and the Millennium Ring is mine, it would not work for you unless you won it from me." Bakura stated, as if to show that he was the one in control. Marik's fist clenched, I could feel the irritation radiating from him. He was distracted. I took the opportunity and lunged forward as hard as I could, finally breaking his grip. I stumbled forward nearly falling. I started towards my door but was pulled back by the collar of my t-shirt. I spun around and came face to face with a tan, very toned teen with spiked sandy blonde hair. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with a long dark purple cloak, worn like a cape, and jeans. He sported a golden belt and a lot of gold jewelry. I looked him in the face, every bit of confidence fading at the sight of his malicious lilac eyes that danced with laughter.

"And where are you going?" Bakura sneered. I opened and shut my mouth unable to make a sound. I looked between Bakura and Marik and realized I was trapped. But what good would it do them to keep me around?

"I-I am l-leaving." I stated as clearly as possible yet my voice cracking and breaking on every syllable.

"Not without your father telling me where the other items are." Bakura stated, positioning himself between the door and me.

"He does not know where they are. He said so when he was talking about his trip." I stated relieved slightly. I could escape now and find Yugi or one of the others. I hoped that they would know something, anything that might help to stop these two.

Bakura scowled again, believing what I had said. "Then I suppose you are free to go." He stated, his voice full of mockery and malice. I cringed wanting to move towards the door. But a hand on my shoulder told me that I would not have my way.

"The kid is staying. He knows too much and he'll go and tell the Pharaoh's brat and his group everything." Marik stated. My heart fell to my feet. Not only had Atem's two greatest rivals returned, but now I was stuck with them on their quest to find the Millennium Items. I looked between the two and my shoulders dropped. Just hours ago I had wished I had been part of an adventure. I guess what they say is true. Be careful what you wish for.

**Heh, well there is the first chapter. The more reviews I get the faster the chapters will come. I am going to ask a few questions that I would like you to answer. This will help me tremendously while writing the rest of the chapters.**

**1. Do you want this written in first current or third person? I honestly prefer writing it from first person POV but that is up to you guys. I know some people are annoyed by certain POVs.**

**2. Do you want yaoi?**

**3. Am I descriptive enough? **

**4. Does this seem off the wall random wth them coming back and having their own bodies, or is it believable?**

**5. Is this interesting?**


	2. Getting Things Going

**And here is chapter two! Man this was a killer to get up. I had the whole thing written on the documents section here. Then when I clicked the save button, I lost my internet connection. I had the first page saved on Microsoft Word, so I had to start from there. Enough of my rambling, get onto reading the fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, or Fruity Pebbles. Though I wish I did. How cool would that be to own a cereal? Bet you thought I was talking about YuGiOh**

"The kid is staying. He knows too much and he'll go and tell the Pharaoh's brat and his group everything." Marik stated. I sighed in irritation. Not only did I have to put up with Marik tagging along, but now I had to drag Ryou along as well. I took a breath keeping my composure easily. It made no difference in the long run. I assured myself and folded my arms across my chest. A smirk broke across my face at the expression on Ryou's face. He looked like he would burst into tears at any second.

"Fine, he'll come along as well." I agreed and leaned against the wall.

"I-I don't want to come with." Ryou choked looking between Marik and myself with a terrified pleading expression. Before I had a chance to respond another voice called from outside the room.

"Ryou, do you have someone over?" Fantastic, it was his father. I looked to Ryou and mouthed 'Do not say a word.'

"No father, I am just watching TV." I answered imitating Ryou's voice.

"Well turn it down! I am trying to sleep." He commanded. A door shut and I assumed that he had returned to his own bedroom. I turned back to see Marik looking highly amused and Ryou scowling, obviously not liking how I responded for him.

"You should be thankful his dad is a moron." Marik declared in a quieter voice.

"My father is not a moron!" Ryou protested weakly.

"Yet he did not think it was odd that you were watching television when you clearly do not have one in your room." Marik replied coolly motioning around the room. Ryou opened his mouth but no sound came out.

"That could create quite a problem." I mused aloud.

"What?" Marik looked back to me raising an eyebrow.

"When is your father leaving?" I directed the question to Ryou, ignoring Marik.

"Wh-what?" He stammered looking confused.

"I asked when your father was leaving." I repeated growing irritated. Not only would these two get in my way, but they were fools as well. "Well? Are you going to answer me or stand there gawking?" I demanded harshly. Ryou flinched stepping backwards.

"N-n-next week." He muttered looking warily up at Marik then back to myself. I sighed in exasperation.

"You will tell him you are going camping with your friends for the week." I commanded, leaving no room for objection. Ryou blinked and muttered something under his breath. I was too far away to hear but judging by Marik's outburst of laughter I assumed that he had heard. I shrugged not caring in any way to hear his snide comments. "What are you standing around for? Go." I commanded pointing towards the door.

"B-but it's nearly two in the morning. Why would I be going camping so late? And I cannot wake him up." Ryou muttered a mumbled explanation.

"Then it appears that we will be spending the night here." I proclaimed, irritated by the fact. Marik shrugged and dropped onto the couch.

"And to make sure you don't try to run away," Marik smirked and snatched one of Ryou's wrists and jerking him forward. Ryou tripped and fell on top of Marik who promptly wrapped his arms around his waist trapping him "you will be sleeping right here."

I rolled my eyes taking off my jacket, proceeding to lock the door. If Ryou's father were to walk in, any plans to leave the house without banishing him to the Shadow Realm would be in vain. I pulled back the already wrinkled sheets lay down. The lights had never been turned on saving me another task.

"I won't run away you can let go of me." I heard Ryou pleading. He received no answer aside from Marik's laughter.

"Hey, Ryou. It's nine already. Wake up!" Ryou's father's voice boomed through the room. I could hear the doorknob being worked and smirked. "Why is your door locked?"

"I am awake." I called, once again answering in my hikari's place, deciding not to answer as to why the door was locked.

"Alright." He responded and judging by the sound of his retreating footsteps I could be assured that he had left. I cast the blankets aside and stood, stretching. I looked over to the couch. Ryou looked despairingly up at me, Marik was still sleeping, snoring loudly. 'How did his father not hear that?' I thought absent-mindedly. I strode across the room and thumped Marik on the head.

"Wake up." I demanded. Marik grunted in his sleep and rolled over, falling off the couch crushing Ryou beneath him.

"The hell?" Marik growled looking around. Realization flashed through his eyes and he smirked yawning in a cat-like manner.

"Please get up. I cannot breathe!" Ryou gasped, his voice muffled. Marik looked down and grinned and rolled over to where all of his weight was pressed on Ryou who flailed madly beneath him.

"What was that? I thought I heard something." He taunted.

"Quiet down imbeciles." I growled hearing movement outside the door. The doorknob twisted and a clicking noise resounded through the room signaling that the door was unlocked. I turned and motioned wordlessly to the small closet. Marik nodded and jumped to his feet pulling Ryou with him into the closet. As soon as the closet door slid shut, the bedroom door opened. Ryou's father stepped in looking suspiciously around the room. I stepped in front of him about to speak when I realized that I was supposed to be acting as Ryou.

"Son, you know I do not want you locking your door." The man chided sternly. I looked away trying to appear sheepish and apologetic.

"I am sorry. It will not happen again." I muttered softly. Apparently his father had not changed much. He softened up instantly, clearly believing that I was Ryou. He smiled kindly.

"My how you have grown!" he exclaimed. "Every time I come home you are grown up more and more." He added sadly. "Some day you are going to be fully grown and have a house of your own." He patted my shoulder and turned "I am afraid that I will be heading out early for my next dig."

"Is that so? How much earlier?" I asked looking up a bit. This was not good, I still needed to know about the other holders of the items.

"My flight leaves in a few hours. I am going to Greece this time. I will call you when I get there." he answered, looking apologetic.

"Make sure to send a post card." I added with a smile. "Good luck dad." I waved. At that time, when I thought that everything would go on without a hitch, a loud crashing noise erupted from the closet. Ryou's father jumped back startled. I could hear muffled shouting coming from the closet. The man ran to the closet door and pulled it open, I stood back trying to come up with the next course of action.

"Son, why did you say you did not have others over?" He looked back to me looking a bit disappointed and irritated. He looked back in the closet and froze. He kept looking from me to the closet mumbling something that minutely sounded like 'Impossible.'

"Well now, it looks like the car is out of the bag." Marik commented and stepped out of the closet pushing past Ryou's father, dragging Ryou with him a hand still secured over his mouth.

"What is going on?" the man asked sternly. Ryou began shouting, though it came out sounded like a garbled unintelligible whine.

"I apologize, but that I cannot tell you. However, if you cooperate and follow each and every single order I issue, there will be no… repercussions." I answered sneering. Though the first plan seems to have failed, there is another way to get everything I need. For a moment it looked as if he were going to try to take down Marik, but he stopped in mid-step. That was a wise choice on his part. Ryou's father nodded gravely, remaining silent. "First. You will tell no one what has happened here. Not one word to anyone. If someone is to ask where Ryou has gone, tell him or her that Ryou has gone… camping, with friends. Second. You will give over all the money in the house. That includes your credit cards and airline miles. Third. You will not object to Ryou coming with us in any way. Last. You will tell me everything about the remaining six members of your team. Am I understood?"

"And if I refuse?" he responded crossing his arms, apparently trying to look in some way threatening. I smirked and turned my head to Ryou.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

Ryou's father looked between the three of us despairingly. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head looking defeated. "Then get to it. Now." I commanded clapping my hands together for the sheer amusement of making the man feel even more inferior. He left the room quickly and I could hear him tearing through the drawers in the house. Marik scowled and looked down at Ryou.

"Did you just bite my hand? Stop that!" Marik ordered looking a bit pained.

"Hikari. You will obey me, or your dear father will be banished to the Shadow Realm." I snarled. Ryou glared but stopped trying to escape. Ryou's father re-entered the room and held out the money, as if I were diseased and taking one step closer would cause him to burst into flames. I snatched the money out of his hands, returning his glare with a sneer.

"I have no information on who was in my team or where they have gone. This was a confidential dig so we had to work under code names. I do not have any pictures either." He stated, taking great care to keep any hint of emotion out of his voice. I scowled at the news.

"You had better think twice about saying that. If that is a lie…" I let my statement trail off.

"If I knew anything I would tell you." He replied, head hung low. I sighed in exasperation but believed what he said. He would not risk his son's safety.

"Look at the time. Your plane leaves shortly. You would not want to raise suspicion. So leave." I demanded pointing to the door. He looked regretfully towards his son and stood still. "As long as you do not break one of the rules, no harm will fall upon the boy. Now, leave." The man sighed and left the room. I could hear his footsteps fading until the front door opened and shut. I looked through the large wad of cash and cards. I could briefly make out the sound of a car engine starting; it took a while before it had driven away. Marik released his hold on Ryou who remained silent. I stuffed the money into my pocket a feeling of triumph swelling inside, even though I had no idea of the whereabouts of the other items. That had not been an issue before so I could not imagine it being an issue now.

"So where are we going now?" Marik asked, dropping onto the computer chair. "Six items to go, and they could be anywhere from next door to the US." He commented spinning around in the computer chair.

"Simple. I already know the corporation that employed that team. We will go to the main site and retrieve the information on who was on the expedition and where they are now."

"So what are we sitting around here waiting for?" Marik asked, stopping the chair to where he was facing me. I shrugged and turned to the door.

"You have a car, right?" I asked crossing my arms. Ryou nodded mutely "Good. We are leaving in ten minutes, so pack, change your clothes, and lock up the place."

"Would you like for me to pack extra clothes for you and Marik?" Ryou asked in a monotone voice rising to his feet.

"Whatever." I shrugged opening the door and walking into the dining room planning to eat before I left. Though money, at the moment, did not seem to be an issue, wasting it on food would be idiotic. I looked through the pantry and chose one of the many colorful boxes of cereal. "If one were to be looking through here, they would think that a seven year old is the one who does the shopping." I muttered pouring the multi-colored flakes into a bowl and drowning it in milk. It was one of the most disgusting things I had seen in my existence. I dug out a spoon and took a bite of the cereal. Instantly I was gagging. It was as disgusting as it looked. It tasted like straight sugar. After swallowing the atrocity I dumped the rest into the garbage. It looks like I am buying food after all.

"The rainbow throw up on a box?" Marik asked and poured the cereal into a bowl. I watched in disgust as he downed the whole bowl and another two to follow. He tossed the bowl into the sink and lifted up the box. "Fruity Pebbles. That about sums you up Bakura." He smirked and walked away. I scowled glaring after him. I found some granola bar and swallowed it down, trying not to taste the sugar-filled bar.

Ten minutes passed quickly. Marik stuffed the suitcase into the trunk of the small, light blue car. I had suffered through watching Ryou's many Drivers' Ed classes so I took the driver's seat. Marik took the passenger's seat and Ryou slunk into the back seat with a few pillows and blankets. I started the engine and took a breath. This was it. This was what could very well be my last attempt at collecting the Millennium Items. The tension was so thick in the overstuffed car that it was nearly tangible.

"Take a good look. This could very well be the last glimpse of this place as you know it." I declared, looking around a bit grinning. And so it finally begins.

**And so concludes the second chapter. I do hope you liked it. Leave a review please. I appreciate each and every review! **


	3. Opposition Arises

**Author's Note: Hey you know how I said in the summary that Yugi and the group wasn't going to be in this? Guess what. I lied.**

"Take a good look. This could very well be the last glimpse of this place as you know it." Bakura proclaimed. I rolled my eyes. What did he think he was? Some sort of prophet? I leaned back into the seat looking out of the window, not interested in the least. I found it almost humorous that I was now 'working' with one of the many wretches I had sent to the shadow realm. Needless to say, neither of us was particularly happy at the outcome. Now we were headed off to some main building of some archeological company. I turned from the window.

"So where are we going?" I asked in a forced civil tone.

"As I have already informed you we are going to the-"

"WHERE is the main building?" I interrupted the snide thief. He glanced briefly from the road over to me, a smirk spreading over his lips. Fantastic.

"You don't know?" he jeered, looking at me with fake surprise.

"I wouldn't have asked if I did." I growled. If he was not going to be civil then what god-written rule said that I should be civil?

"Pathetic. You should be more grateful that you are-"

"It is in Egypt." The kid in the backseat informed me. I smirked at the irritated expression on Bakura's face. After that scene the neither spoke, so I flipped on the radio turning the volume up as high as it could go. Bakura glared, clutching the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. I leaned back in my seat again grinning. This could be fun. It was still relatively early in the morning so I was not expecting all the traffic. The streets were so crowded with cars and bicycles that moving an inch was an accomplishment. I closed my eyes resting my head on the window. Almost instantaneously the music turned off. My eyes snapped open and I looked over to Bakura. He glanced back smugly but returned his gaze to the road, releasing the brakes for a few seconds, the car inching forward again. I turned the radio back on. After I was assured that Bakura was not going to turn it off I leaned back again.

"Will you turn it off? Or at least turn it down a little." Ryou shouted leaning forward and turning the radio off.

"No." I answered and pressed the power button again, holding my hand over it. Ryou pulled a pillow over his head and lay back down.

"Turn. It. Off." Bakura snarled slapping my hand away and punching the power button.

"Do you want headphones?" Ryou asked, looking up from underneath the overstuffed pillow. I rose an eyebrow and stared blankly at him. He looked back away quickly and shut his mouth looking embarrassed.

"Yeah whatever. Hand them over." I breathed. I honestly could care less whether or not I was listening to the radio; it was just entertaining to watch Bakura flip out. The leaned over the backseat and pulled the suitcase out of the trunk. After rummaging through it for a bit, he extracted a pair of retro looking headphones and gave them to me. I heard the window roll down before I plugged the headphones into the radio turning it back on. The car bounced and dropped down. I pulled the headphones off.

"What the hell was that?" I asked looking out the window. Bakura shrugged slamming on the brakes as the moron in front of our car pulled to a dead stop for no reason.

"Pothole." Ryou suggested in a nervous manner. What was he freaking out about? I guess that is a rhetorical question.

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I looked around the airport reading over the signs. I had not learned Japanese very well so it was more or less pointless.

"If you have any weapons they aren't going to let you on the plane." Ryou commented. I smirked at the snide comment. Bakura rolled his eyes and walked through one of the many metal detectors that, in my opinion, did nothing but slow down the entire process. I set down the suitcase with excess force earning glares from the security guards. I winked and stepped through the metal detectors without a problem. After all the security measures were gone and done with I found myself sitting around waiting for the plane to arrive.

"Stop drumming your fingers on the table." Bakura scolded, the glare never leaving his face. I grinned, not planning on stopping. It seemed to be a lot easier than I had originally thought to get under Bakura's skin. The thief grumbled something under his breath in ancient Egyptian. I smirked again. How idiotic was he? I retorted back in the same language receiving another considerably more disgusted glare from Bakura. Ryou blinked, obviously having no idea what was just said. I threw my head back laughing. Half the others waiting for the plane turned looking at me like I was a crazed mad man. Hmm, not too far off. Finally the plane arrived. I stepped through the terminal that seemed far too small. The feeling of claustrophobia did not fade as I stepped into the actual plane. There were three small seats packed tightly together on each side of the plane in long rows that were already filling up. This was not going to be an enjoyable ride.

I was stuck sitting between Ryou and Bakura on a multiple hour flight to Egypt because of the cursed plane tickets. That was just the start of my complaints about this piece of junk with wings called an airplane. The headphones were broken so listening to the movie was impossible (not that it mattered, I did not care to watch 'Steel Magnolias'.), the radio stations sucked, I had no foot room, some kid was behind me screaming about… something, all we got was a non-alcoholic drink, my head hurt, the plane hadn't even taken off, and I was sitting next to Bakura. These were sure to be the most boring, miserable hours of my life, unless… I smirked. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad.

"The plane is going to crash." I voiced only loud enough for my two white-haired companions to hear. Bakura was unfazed, but I wasn't planning on scaring him. Ryou's head spun around, he looked a bit worried but I could tell he doubted me.

"That isn't funny." He mumbled crossing his arms and looking away uneasily.

"I know that, you don't see me laughing. Idiotic policy about no one getting out of the plane assures that." I continued, filling my voice with mock fear. Ryou shook his head glancing back at me. "Guess this little 'quest' was short lived." I sighed and leaned back in my chair (which felt like it would fall through at any second need I add.).

"Y-you're kidding. Right?" Ryou squeaked turning around panicked. I shook my head solemnly trying as hard as humanly possible not to laugh. He reached to undo his seatbelt at the same time the plane lurched forward. He screamed and ducked down protecting his head with his arms. That did it for me. I was doubled over laughing in a matter of seconds. Bakura was shaking his head laughing as well. Ryou sat back up warily, a mixture of terror and humiliation written across his face.

The plane continued in it's take-off. After far too much time had passed, it finally left the ground. Ryou crossed his arms and stared out the window frowning. I smirked looking out of the window as well. There was not much anything else to watch. That was where I was wrong.

The flight attendant was making another round around the plane pushing the cart that was full of glasses. Just as she was about to reach our seats we hit turbulence. She tripped over the cart and flipped it over. Bakura was soaked in a mixture of drinks.

"You better watch it sir. You could be arrested for harassing a flight attendant." She warned wagging her finger in front of her.

"What are you talking about imbecile?" Bakura growled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Tripping me. You are lucky that I am not going to make you pay for all of these drinks!" she shrieked motioning at Bakura's sopping wet clothes.

"You are lucky that-"

"We are very sorry for the disturbance ma'am. It will not happen again." Ryou interrupted. "Are you alright?" he asked. The woman frowned and looked back to Bakura.

"You should be more like your brother." She scolded and walked away. Bakura blinked a few times before realizing that she had thought Ryou was his brother. He shook his head irritably muttering curses under his breath.

"And then he hung up on me! Can you believe that?" The girl behind me was ranting.

"I can believe it well." I spat turning around.

"Excuse me?" the girl squalled bobbing her head. "I know you are not talking to me."

"Then who would I be talking to? That ugly guy sitting next to you?" I retorted. I'd had enough of her yammering about some idiotic drama.

"You had better apologize right now young man. You do not speak to my daughter like that." The afore mentioned man chided.

" As you wish." I sighed and turned back to the girl "I am sorry that you are such an annoying brat that the only person you have to talk to is your father."

"Marik!" Ryou snapped turning to face me.

"What?" I drawled turning back to the far more amusing teen next to me. He shook his head incredulous and turned back away muttering something about being trapped on a plane with two lunatics.

The rest of the flight was spent dozing in and out of consciousness. I felt a dead weight drop on my right shoulder. I looked over expecting that the brat sitting behind me had thrown something at me. Instead I found Ryou sound asleep and using my shoulder as a pillow. A smile tugged at my lips. I leaned back slightly and closed my eyes again.

I am not sure exactly how long it was since then, but an announcement boomed through the plane saying that we would be reaching our destination shortly. I yawned and looked down at Ryou who had not budged. I nudged his shoulder.

"Wake up we're landing soon." I yawned again. Ryou sat up quickly blushing.

"Sorry, um uh thanks." He muttered rubbing his eyes. The flight attendant walked by again and shot a glare at Bakura.

I stepped off the plane into the airport that bore far more familiar signs and symbols. Without waiting for the other two to get off and headed towards the luggage claim winking at the many passengers I had caused some level of misery to. The suitcase, fortunately enough, was one of the first to come out. I looked around for the other two I was cursed to spend this 'expedition' with. I found them with relative ease. I walked behind Ryou and bent down slightly. Bakura raised an eyebrow then smirked in an amused manner. I lowered my head to where my mouth was next to Ryou's ear.

"Boom!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. He shrieked and spun around, face flushed red. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something. However, as soon as he noticed the stares our small group was receiving, he shut his mouth.

Around an hour later we had checked into a hotel and were on our way to the archeological building. Bakura had changed into close that weren't reeking of orange juice and root beer. This seemed to be going ridiculously fast. It was almost hard to believe that only yesterday, any idea of this happening would have never crossed my mind. Now I was in Egypt a few moments away from receiving the information that in a short amount of time would grant me unbelievable power. It seemed far too easy, like some stupid dream that was not thought all the way through. Ryou took a few steps away and glanced back quickly.

"Don't bother running away, unless you want me to chase you." I smirked suggestively. The teen made an indignant noise and stepped back reluctantly. I snickered and shook my head looking at the many shops that adorned the road.

"Oh excuse me. I am very sor- Yugi?!" I heard Ryou exclaim, reaching a hand out to help Yugi to his feet. I turned quickly to my left, and sure enough stood the Pharaoh's brat. Of all the rotten luck, why in god's name was he in Egypt?

"Hey Bakura, what brings you here?" Yugi chirped in his usual annoying voice.

"Um uh." Ryou stuttered keeping his focus on the tri-color haired freak. Yugi glanced up and caught sight of Bakura and I glaring down at him. He gaped speechless looking between Ryou, Bakura, and I.

"But, no that's impossible. You, both of you are, were…" he stammered hopelessly. Ryou bit his lip.

"That is what I thought as well." Ryou mumbled. Bakura stepped forward pushing Ryou back slightly as if to say 'You're not getting away that easily.'

"This is impossible. You were destroyed by Atem in Egypt." Yugi stated, as if that was going to magically make the two of us disappear.

"That, Yugi, is where you are wrong. Just because the Pharaoh is gone does not automatically make me disappear as well." Bakura sneered arrogantly.

"Jounouchi, Honda, guys get over here!" Yugi shouted he glanced apologetically to Ryou. "We came over earlier to invite you but your house was empty." He explained.

The white haired teen nodded and smiled weakly "I went camping." Ryou responded, using the excuse that Bakura had originally planned for him to use. Yugi blinked clearly confused. I laughed again diverting Yugi's attention instantly. The pathetic group arrived in few moments looking unaware of what was happening.

"What's up Yug?" The idiot blonde asked. "Hey Bakura you're here too!" he exclaimed looking at Bakura. Jounouchi hadn't gotten any more intelligent since the last time I had the displeasure of seeing him.

"Jounouchi, take a better look." Anzu blanched. I groaned inwardly. The annoying broad was here too. Honda stood speechless next to Jounouchi who was glancing between Bakura and Ryou and me, looking like he was going to soil himself.

"What's going on? How are Bakura and Marik back?" Honda asked. I had no clue as to whom he was talking to.

Bakura laughed menacingly crossing his arms over his chest. "Not happy to see me?" he jeered cocking his head to the side.

"Enough of this." I demanded, "There is nothing they can do. The Pharaoh is gone. We're wasting time standing around." I noted growing bored quickly. Bakura glanced over his shoulder and nodded. Ryou stepped up next to me.

"Since they know you two are back, I can go now right?" He asked, smiling hopefully. I looked down amused.

"Not a chance." I declared. Annunciating every word. The smile dropped from his face and he turned back to the group who were currently attempting to prove that they stood a chance.

"I defeated you in the pyramid and retrieved Atem's name." Yugi shouted. Bakura scowled momentarily before shrugging.

"And what good has that done now?" Bakura retaliated.

"You are not getting the Millennium Items. They are gone." Jounouchi jeered. "Looks like you came back for nothing."

Bakura grinned and lifted the Millennium Ring off his chest. "Is that so? Because I would have to say differently. Now, I believe Marik was correct, for once. Goodbye Yugi." He announced and stepped away. I glowered at the thief as he turned his back.

"Wait a minute. Ba- uh I mean Ryou why are you with them?" Yugi asked incredulously. Ryou opened his mouth to say something but I beat him to it.

"He's never been on your side. He wants Zorc resurrected as well." I answered. Ryou shook his head waving his hands frantically in front of him.

"That is not true! I-" Ryou started but was cut off again by a glare from Bakura. Ryou sighed looking imploringly at the others. He stepped forward and began talking at a rapid pace. "They are planning on going to the main archeological office to find out where the Millennium-" I held a hand over his mouth, the rest of his sentence coming out garbled and unintelligible. That didn't help much. The damage was already done.

"You're not going to get anywhere near that information if we can help it!" Jounouchi yammered holding a fist in front of him.

"I am so scared." I drawled sarcastically a grin spreading across my face. Bakura turned back around looking just as confident as ever.

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"It appears that your pathetic attempt to stop me failed." Bakura mocked, dangling a folder in front of Ryou's face. Ryou sunk back in the hotel room's chair miserably. That was a bit more difficult than I had originally thought. Having the Pharaoh's measly group interfering did not make things easier. Things were going to be an uphill struggle from now on. The easy part was gone and done with. Now for actually retrieving the items. I was going to be facing opposition from the wielders of the items, and, much to my irritation, the gang of do-good misfits.

"It was worth a try." Ryou mumbled under his breath more to himself than us.

"No, not really kid." I grinned, sitting on the arm of the chair. He glanced up and sighed heavily. I snatched the folder out of Bakura's hand and flipped it open. There were pictures of seven individuals. Each had their address and telephone numbers typed underneath. "United States and Japan. All of the remaining individuals reside in one of those countries. Four in Japan and three in the United States." I stated. Bakura strode across the room and opened the suitcase. Ryou tensed up instantly. After a minute or two Bakura dumped the suitcase on the floor and spun around looking furious.

"Where is the book?" He demanded. I shrugged glancing at the pile of discarded items. Ryou sunk back in his chair.

"Somewhere spread across the streets in Japan." He mumbled trying to sound confident but failing miserably.

"What?" Bakura shouted stepping forward.

"I threw it out the window on the way to the airport. I think you ran it over too." He added voice trailing off.

"I am disappointed Ryou." Bakura breathed haughtily standing in front of Ryou. The teen sunk further back into the plush lounge chair staring at his feet with newfound interest. Bakura lifted Ryou's chin with his thumb to where he was forcing Ryou to look him in the eyes. The thief leaned in to where his face was barely a centimeter from Ryou's. "Don't disappoint me again." He ordered shifting slightly to where his lips were nearly touching Ryou's ear. "Understand?" Ryou nodded hastily. Bakura smirked and pulled back walking away.

I found the remote and turned the television on. There was some sort of advertisement about visiting the pyramids.

"So where are we going tomorrow? The United States or back to Japan?" I asked flipping through the channels. I did not find anything, nor did I expect to. I pressed the power button and turned back to the other two. This was a lot more interesting than anything I could find on TV anyway.

**Author's Note: Sorry this sucker took so long to get up. Hmm give me a second and I will come up with an elaborate excuse as to why it took so long. Yeah, well that could take another week so i'll just tell you the truth. You are reading a fanfic written by one of the laziest people you will ever have the displeasure of knowing.**

**As for having Yugi's group in there, I do have a good reason. There needed to be an antagonist in this fic or it would be dull and sound half-assed. And, though it takes a forever and a day for these chapters to come up, I do not intend for my story to be either dull or half-assed.**

**I know what you mean reviewer. I don't think I am allowed to say your name. This is all happening in a short amount of time. But I can't think of how to make it longer in fic if you know what I mean. And I know that isn't how archeaology (I spelled that wrong) works. I had written a different scene in which Bakura talked with Ryou's dad and he explained that he felt bad for taking an artifact. That was when my computer crashed and I lst that whole scene. So I re-did it completely and was not able to put in in the chapter I put up. And with the whole Ryou not giving two thoughts to having the ring back; that was to show how everyone thought that Bakura was gone for good and didn't give it a second thought. I reallly appreciated that review and have no fear, if I am able to work in some yaoi it will not take over the story! **

**So, leave a review The more reviews the quicker I get these chapters up (well maybe we'll see). That and getting a review makes my day. Seriously, I log onto this account every single day to check if I got another review. Thank you all so much for reviewing and favoriting/subscribing this. You have no idea how thrilled I am to be getting them. I have read all of your comments and suggestions and will try to get them in. So if you have any complaints, suggestions, or any other kind of feedback, please leave it here. Even a little "Woohoo!" is appreciated haha. Okay I sound desperate so I shall end this Author's Note and post the fic now. See ya **


	4. Dreams and Reality

**A/N And after what, a month now? I finally get the fourth chapter up. This one is from Ryou's POV just for the heads up. This is where things start going for real. I think it came out pretty well. But that is my opinion. I wouldn't put up a chapter that I thought sucked. So... **

**Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, Candyland, The Prince of Tides, or anything else that actually exists, kind of sad huh?**

"So where are we going tomorrow? The United States or back to Japan?" Marik asked glancing over from the chair he sat in. I was hardly able to concentrate on the conversation. My nerves were still frazzled from my encounter with Bakura. Normally, if something like that happened, I would have been terrified. I was more or less horrified, but it was not one of those feelings one would get if they were trapped in the middle of a horror movie. It was different. I looked up slightly from where I sat, focusing on the two instead of my thoughts. Bakura shrugged stretching out on the couch.

"I suppose it does not matter either way." Bakura mused closing his eyes.

"I think we should start in Japan. The less we run into Yugi and the others the better off things will be for everyone." I breathed. Marik shifted his eyes to me looking incredulous. I blushed and dropped my head shifting uncomfortably. This was far from what I considered to be a comfortable situation. Then again, I am sure that no one would consider sharing a hotel room with two crazed spirits planning on destroying the world, a comfortable situation.

"You're right. Though I doubt those imbeciles could pose any threat." Bakura muttered the last part, never opening his eyes. I smiled slightly to myself feeling accomplished. I scolded myself inwardly for being cheerful about assisting in plotting the gathering of the Millennium Items. I should be trying to make things more difficult. I sighed, sinking as far as humanly possible into my chair. This was all going by so quickly. I prayed it would end soon, the ending preferably being without either Bakura or Marik. _Like that could ever happen._ I thought ironically. I could not understand what could be so important that Bakura would be able to cheat death to accomplish it. Now, this goal was so appealing that Marik had come back! I thought over everything I knew, questions forming and worming their ways into my thoughts.

I rested my head against the arm of the chair. Glancing back to where Bakura and Marik sat.

"What happens when you win?" I asked, feeling more at ease, most likely due to my fatigue.

"What?" Bakura yawned propping his head up on his hand.

"When you get all of the Millennium Items and resurrect Zorc, when you win?" I explained.

"I'll make the sky turn red whenever I choose to." Marik jested. Bakura turned his head.

"That is one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard." He exclaimed, shaking his head. I laughed softly, covering my mouth with my hand to stifle it. Marik shrugged looking unphased.

"I'm going to bed." Bakura stated, rising from the couch. He pulled something out of the suitcase and strode past my chair and into the bathroom. I hoped that there were complimentary toothbrushes. I was not to keen on the idea of sharing my own. I cringed slightly at the idea. Though, I would feel that way about anyone using my toothbrush. _Okay you need to go to bed Ryou. You are thinking about toothbrushes._ I ordered myself, leaning forward to get up, but deciding to wait until Bakura was finished up before I got ready.

"It is kind of late." Marik sighed jumping to his feet walking to the center of the room. I watched him idly wondering what he was going to sleep in. He tossed his cloak onto the desk, proceeding to unzip his pants, tossing them on top of the cloak.

"God, Marik you have no decency." Bakura growled in disgust, shielding his eyes. Marik glanced down at me and smirked, throwing the shirt over my head. I was somewhat thankful for the obstruction of my view.

"Enjoy the show?" Marik taunted. I frowned and removed the shirt from my head, sure that I was bright red.

"I am going to get ready for bed." I squeaked, leaping to my feet. I pulled a pair of pajamas out of my suitcase along with my toothbrush and rushed into the bathroom. It took a few moments to regain my composure. I locked the bathroom door behind me and ran my fingers through my hair. I cringed at the feel of sand and grime. Glancing around a bit, I located the small shampoo and soap. I had packed my own but did not quite feel like reentering the bedroom to retrieve it.

The warm water was very relaxing. I stood under the stream of water until my hair was wet enough. Begrudgingly, I finished my shower and turned the water off. I reached for a towel, finding one. Like every other hotel, the towel was not big enough. I was too tired by then to really care.

I was barely able to keep my leaden feeling eyes open as I dressed and brushed my teeth. I felt a slight twinge of guilt for using all of the hot water. I hoped that Marik or Bakura weren't planning on showering. I stepped out of the room and was greeted by silence. I was the only one still awake. Bakura was on the bed, Marik on the couch. I bit my lip looking for a suitable place to sleep. Needless to say, I was not planning on the bed or couch. I shrugged and walked towards the dresser, pulling the spare blankets and pillows from the bottom shelf.

I spread one on the floor placing the pillows at the edge. I lay down on the makeshift bed gratefully. The ground was very hard unfortunately. I rest my head on the pillows and pulled the blanket over myself. After tossing and turning for a bit, trying to find a comfortable position-which never was found- I fell into a fitful sleep.

I rolled onto my side, sinking into the pillow-like mattress. That confused me for a while, but my mind was too groggy to figure out why. I shivered and pulled the blanket closer to me. I rolled onto the middle of the bed stretching.

"Will you stop moving around?" Bakura growled. I realized why being on the bed seemed odd. I had fallen asleep on the floor. I stopped mid-stretch and lay my head back down.

"Sorry." I whispered, smiling at the realization of how I had ended up on the bed.

"What are you smiling about?" Bakura sneered.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"Hmph, go to sleep. Bakura ordered, rolling onto his side to where his back was to me. I nodded and closed my eyes. I fell asleep pretty quickly, very thankful for the much needed rest. If I had any dreams, I could not remember them.

By the time I woke up, both Bakura and Marik were awake and eating breakfast.

"Good morning." I muttered, stifling a yawn with my hand.

"It's about time you woke up." Marik proclaimed, stuffing an overly large forkful of pancakes into his mouth. I smiled and pulled a chair over to the table. The food was almost all gone. _Note to self, if you want breakfast, wake up earlier._ I decided to ask a question that I had been chewing over last night.

"I know that in order to get a Millennium Item you have to win it in a Shadow Game. How does that work?" I asked glancing between Bakura and Marik while piling the remaining pancakes onto my plate.

"As long as you use Shadow magic, any game will do." Bakura stated, propping his head up on his hand. I found that strange. I had assumed that in order to do a Shadow Game, you had to play Duel Monsters. That sure was what it seemed like.

"Any game can be a Shadow Game?" I repeated, phrasing the statement into a question.

"Yeah. You could even play Candyland if you wanted." Marik explained. I couldn't help but laugh. Bakura shook his head, looking at Marik like he was an idiot.

We left the hotel pretty quickly. I guess after being trapped inside of the Millennium Ring for so long, waiting around to complete this quest was not something either planned on doing. The rental car was nice enough. Marik turned back on the radio, turning it up to the loudest setting possible. _I think he just does that to irritate Bakura._ I mused. If that were true, it was certainly working.

With the music so loud, having a conversation was impossible so I reverted back to my thoughts. The luggage I had packed was really not enough. Bakura and I were almost the same size, so he had something to change into, unlike Marik. He had attempted to fit into one of the larger shirts I had packed. The shirt is destroyed. It was stretched out beyond repair. He looked at a pair of jeans and just laughed. _I suppose we will have to go shopping at some point._ I mused.

I thought back to yesterday and the encounter with Yugi and the others._ I wonder if what they said was true._ The whole group was so adamant about how they already knew how to defeat Bakura and Marik. Even to me, it seemed like they were bluffing. _Without the Pharaoh around they are about as useless as any other person._ The Pharaoh was gone, I was certain of that. _Then again, Bakura and Marik were_ gone_ as well._ That brought a small twinge of hope.

It was pretty clear that I would not be able to do anything. It wasn't like I could just throw all of the Items out of the window. I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind saying that I should not have given up on stopping them so easily.

"Pay attention. I said we're here." Bakura snapped.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I had not noticed that the car had stopped. Bakura rolled his eyes and stepped out of the car. I hurriedly did the same, but adding out the rolling my eyes thing. I lifted the suitcase out of the trunk and hurried to catch up with the others. That was very hard to do while carrying something that weighed so much. Marik turned around and took the suitcase from my hand.

"Keep up." He smirked.

"Okay, thanks." I replied, feeling more than slightly embarrassed that I had had so much trouble carrying it.

"Uh huh." Marik grunted.

Like before, getting through security was not a problem. Though, Marik did get a few dirty looks after requesting he be strip-searched. I hoped this plane would look less like it was going to crash at any moment. I had traveled a lot with my father when I was younger, but never did particularly enjoy being in a plane. My ears always popped and I ended up with motion sickness every time.

I decided to try getting some chewing gum. I had never tried that before. My father thought I was going to choke on it.

"Where are you going?" Bakura asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I'm going to get some chewing gum over there." I pointed to a store that was close to where we sat.

"You're the only one I know who calls it 'chewing gum.' Marik noted. I blinked, not quite knowing how to respond. Bakura nodded, giving me permission, and I stalked off to the store, feeling irritated that I had to ask permission to go somewhere. _I am not five years old!_ I thought ruefully.

I stepped into the shop that was adorned with Egypt souvenirs. There were shelf after shelf of post cards, key chains, and other knick-knacks like snow globes. I never got the appeal of snow globes. Why would anyone want one? They don't do anything aside from sit around and gather dust. Yet every store has them. Apparently, my father thought they were just amazing. Every place he goes, he sends me back a snow globe.

I grabbed a book off the shelf. It was one from the list of mandatory reads for the upcoming school year. This would give me something to do during the many plane and car rides that were coming up.

_Marik still has nothing to change into._ I looked to the racks of t-shirts and chose one that looked like it might fit Marik. I headed to the checkout, grabbing a pack of gum as I went. I was next in line when I found myself walking back to the racks of t-shirts and chose one for Bakura as well. I would have felt bad had I not gotten him anything. _What is wrong with you?_ I chided myself inwardly and walked back to the line.

"There you are. I thought you got lost or something. I heard Marik exclaim mockingly as he strode over to where I stood. I frowned- I would have crossed my arms but they were full- and turned to look up at him. This was ridiculous! I had taken a bit longer than expected so now I had Marik coming to check on me. I wasn't going to run away, though that was something that crossed my mind often enough. _Still, it is not necessary. Or maybe it is._ I shook my head; unable to keep from growing irritated even though it was understandable why neither trusted me to go off on my own.

"I would not get lost on my way from here to where I was sitting." I retorted.

"But I see you did get side-tracked." He taunted, motioning towards the t-shirts.

"I thought you might have wanted something to change into." I glowered defensively. If it were any normal person, they would more than likely have felt bad upon learning that. But it was Marik, not a normal person so I was just trying to justify my extended absence.

"Ohh, but I didn't get you anything!" Marik drawled sarcastically. I hmphed and walked to the cashier. Those four things ended up costing my over sixty dollars.

"Thank you, have a nice day." The Cashier breathed.

"You too." I muttered and headed for the exit.

"We're sitting over here." Marik jeered, pointing to the row of seats.

"I know where we're sitting!" I declared, a little too loudly. I earned I few odd looks from people passing by.

"I'm sure you do." Marik smirked. I sighed and followed. Apparently Marik had decided it was my turn to be tormented. I dropped back down into my seat.

"Here." I murmured handing Bakura and Marik their respective gifts.

"Decided we needed souvenirs?" Bakura laughed holding the shirt up. I shrugged looking down at my feet. "Where should I put this?" he asked off-handedly. I was going to say that I would hold onto it, but Marik spoke first.

"Bend over and I'll show you." Marik declared. Had the plane not arrived at that moment, I think Bakura would have knocked him out. I took the t-shirts and stuffed them back into the bag, walking briskly towards the terminal, not caring to hear the exchange between the two.

My ticket had me on an aisle seat this time. That really did not matter; the plane had so little passengers that I would be able to sit in any seat that was not occupied. 'Though I doubt Marik and Bakura will let me sit anywhere away from them. I might 'get lost' or something.' I thought, still irritated. Okay, I really needed to stop dwelling on that.

I found my seat; it was a few rows away from Marik and another few from Bakura. The plane was a lot nicer than the previous one. It smelled clean and everything worked. I hoped that the flight attendant from the last trip would not be here. I laughed quietly to myself recalling that scene. I opened my pack of chewing gum and took out a stick. I hoped that it would work.

At that time the others who I would be sitting next to showed up. They were a man and woman who looked like they were in their upper twenties. As soon as they sat down they started making out. I looked away quickly feeling very awkward. The plane took off quicker than last time. The couple beside me did not stop. I eventually got up and moved when they started making noises.

I sat down in an empty row of seats as far from the couple as possible.

"What's wrong with you?" Marik asked. I looked around, finally spotting him looking over from the row in front of me. I shook my head.

"Nothing, just the people I were sitting next to is all." I laughed. Marik nodded and turned back around, putting a pair of headphones on. I did the same. I flipped through the stations until I had found one I liked. I rested my head against the window, staring out into the clouds. All you could see were clouds and sky.

That lost my attention pretty quickly. My ears popped. _So chewing gum doesn't work._ I mused. _Oh well, at least it tastes good._ I thought absent-mindedly. I rummaged through the bag, easily finding the book I had bought at the gift store. Once again I got the feeling that things were moving too quickly. Time seemed to be speeding by but standing still at the same time. It was weird. I figured once we landed and got under way with actually finding the items, time would be more normal. Then again, why should I expect things to be normal here? Nothing about this was normal!

The book was interesting. I would have read a lot more if I did not start feeling terribly sick to my stomach. I shut the book and closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. _You get motion sickness when you fly, so what do you do? You read a book. You're a genius Ryou._ I leaned my head against the window hoping I would feel better soon. I felt someone sit in the seat beside me. I cracked an eye open to see who it was. 'It's Marik.' I realized with dread. I really did not feel up to dealing with him right now. I closed my eyes again, hoping that if he thought I was asleep then he'd go away.

"You look like you're about to throw up." He commented. _Oh, how observative!_ I thought bitterly.

"Mmhmm." I groaned, fearing that if I actually spoke then I might really throw up. I wished I hadn't eaten anything. The gum in my mouth was causing me grief as well. I swallowed it, grimacing the whole time. Marik snickered clearly amused. _At least one of us is having a good time of this._ I wished I could say that. But I still was having problems with the whole 'Open your mouth and you're going to blow chunks' thing.

"Breakfast not agreeing with you?" He asked. I opened my eyes and turned to look at him. I shook my head, entire body in agony from the movement.

"No, it's not that. Planes make me feel sick." I mumbled, happy that I had kept the contents of my stomach _in_ my stomach. I expected him to have some witty comeback, but he was not smiling. He actually looked sympathetic.

"There is still a ways to go until this thing lands." Marik noted, taking his cloak off and wrapping it around me. "Might as well try to sleep it off."

I smiled, radiating as much thankfulness in that as possible "Okay, thank you." I practically whispered and closed my eyes again trying to will myself to sleep. I was not able to stop smiling for quite a while.

Every time someone spoke louder than a whisper they would be quiet again. I was not sure, but I had a feeling Marik had something to do with it. I was so grateful that, even though I was nauseous, I wasn't miserable anymore.

The plane landed without any problems. Bakura met up with us at the front of the plane. Seeing the look in his eyes, I was quickly reminded of why we were here and what was going on. The peaceful atmosphere was replaced with tension. Bakura glanced between Marik and I, raising an eyebrow. I assumed he was wondering why I was wearing Marik's cloak, but he didn't ask.

The airport was pretty crowded. It was rather early in the afternoon so that made sense. It was strange walking around, seeing all these people, some who I knew and others who I didn't. None of them had any idea of what was happening. The thing is, even if they did, they would not have been able to do anything. It was actually kind of scary. Something horrendous was about to happen, but everyone just went on his or her way, not noticing anything!

My car was still in the parking lot. It had not even been in non-use for twenty-four hours. Bakura took the driver's seat again. At first I had been confused as to how he knew how to drive. It did not take too long to figure it out. We shared a mind. Well, sort of. He knew everything I knew and everything I was thinking, and I knew absolutely nothing about him. Knowing that he knew everything I had thought sort of made me want to crawl under a rock. It is embarrassing in a way. But, that is how he knows how to drive, and everything else.

Bakura had decided that we would not be staying at my house. He did not want anyone I knew knowing I was back. I thought that was compulsive. The only people who would know whether I was here or not were in different countries.

"Evelyn Trinidad hmm." Bakura stated as we sat outside of her apartment. She was going to be the first to lose a Millennium Item. My stomach was in a knot. It was still bright outside and we were in such a common place. It seemed odd. Every time I had heard about an Item being stolen, it was under far tenser situations.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, trying to keep my voice sounding calm.

"You'll see."

I felt my heart stop. I hated the way he said that. It felt like we were about to go in there and kill someone. That wasn't too far from it either. If she lost, she was going to end up in the Shadow Realm.

"Do you know any card games?" Bakura asked after a long silence.

I blinked "Um, yes I know a lot of card games." I answered uncertainly.

"What about one for three people?" he asked shuffling a deck of playing cards.

"Yes." I nodded remembering a few.

"What is it?" he asked sharply.

"It's called spoons. Three or more people can play." I muttered sinking back into my seat. _This is going to be the Shadow Game he uses._ I thought miserably before explaining the rules. "You have to sit in a circle, if there are three people you have two spoons in the middle. When it gets down to two people you have one spoon in the middle. Everyone gets five cards and can only have five in their hand at once. The goal is to get three of the same card. The dealer draws one card off the top of the deck and hands one of his or her cards to the person next to them. The player next to the dealer has to discard one card in his or her hand and give it to the person next to them. When you are done passing a card around you put it off to the side. You keep passing the cards until someone gets three of the same card. When someone gets three of the same card they grab a spoon. Everyone else can grab a spoon as well without getting three of the same card then. Who ever doesn't get a spoon is out." I explained, hoping that I had remembered all of the rules.

Bakura nodded and opened the car door. Marik followed suit. I took a breath and opened the door following them to the door. The information was all in the envelope, everything from her date of birth to where she graduated college. She was married but had no children. I was glad about that. I could not stand being involved in taking away some kid's mother.

My thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as Marik knocked on the door. That to seemed out of place. Something so normal as knocking on someone's door. It seemed like we should have been crashing through the door in some sort of mafia style fashion.

"Who is it?" a female voice called.

"Friends of one of the members of your archeological team. We would like to meet you." Bakura answered in a false kind manner. The door opened and a woman a bit shorter than me stepped forward wearing a summer dress.

"I am pleased to meet you three. Judging by how the two of you look, I would assume that you know Mr. Bakura." She concluded.

"You're right." Bakura smiled. I wanted to tell her to shut the door and call the police and get as far away from here as humanly possible. But, that was not going to happen. I knew that if I did something, my father's life was on the line.

"Please come in." Evelyn declared warmly. "Andres come down we have company." She shouted at the staircase. When she turned her head I was able to see the Millennium Tauk hung around her neck. A middle-aged man came down the steps, far less enthusiastic than his wife, but did not seem like a bad guy by doing so. After all of the formalities were gone through we were all seated at a round table in the kitchen. A fake conversation was had and everyone was being very friendly. It seemed like a meeting with old friends. Every time I seen the Millennium Tauk though, I knew it wasn't.

"I don't know if Mr. Bakura told you this, but it seems that the items we got from the tomb have a magic about them. You may think I sound insane when I say this but it is true. With this tauk, a can see into the future. I seen that you were coming and know you are here to try to get the tauk. I was not able to see the end, but I have a good feeling that I know how it will end. So, let's get this game going." Evelyn clapped her hands together. "What are we playing?" she asked, though it was obvious she already knew. I suppose she was just trying to keep her husband in the loop.

"Spoons, I will play against you and your husband." Bakura declared, pulling the deck of cards from his pocket. Evelyn nodded and walked to the cupboard, taking out two spoons.

"Look. I know who you three are and what you're planning. So let's raise the sakes a little. If Andres or I win, I get the Millennium Ring and you will go to the Shadow Realm along with those two while neither Andres nor I will go. If we lose, then you get the Millennium Tauk and we are stuck in the Shadow Realm." Evelyn put a hand on her hip as if she was daring Bakura to back down. I was surprised that she knew everything. Then again, she had the Item that could see into the past and future so I suppose that made sense.

"Evelyn, what are you talking about?" Andres looked hopelessly confused.

"I'll explain when this is over." Evelyn declared arrogantly. This whole thing seemed unfair. Evelyn had two chances at winning where Bakura only had one. That, and all three of us would go to the Shadow Realm if Bakura lost. I thought Bakura was going to decline. Anyone under these circumstances would.

"I accept. Shall we begin?" Bakura looked between the confident woman and the husband who looked highly irritated. Evelyn nodded and pulled her brown hair back. "You deal." Bakura handed the deck to Evelyn. She smirked and shuffled the cards. Marik and I rose from the table and stepped back, a purple fog surrounded the kitchen. The cards were distributed and the game began. Evelyn did not even look at her cards as she discarded them. She already knew what she had. Evelyn reached for a spoon and Bakura snatched one up before Andres had even reacted.

"Sorry Andres. You're out." Evelyn shrugged and handed Andres her spoon. "Put this away for me dear." She turned back to Bakura looking smug. She already knew when every card would be drawn. There was no way she could lose. I glanced up at Marik who looked distressed. He caught my glance and gave a humorless grin and shrugged. I bit my lip and tried to keep myself from hyperventilating. I didn't want to go to the Shadow Realm.

"It is my turn to deal." Bakura noted and reached for the deck of cards. Evelyn's mouth dropped. That gave me a bit of hope. The cards were distributed and the game resumed. The cards were passed around quickly. Bakura grinned and lifted the spoon off the table dropping his hand to the table. He had three fours and two kings. I let my breath go, just realizing that I was holding my breath.

"No. My God no." Evelyn gasped and dropped her hand. Andres looked between Evelyn and Bakura, fear rising in his eyes.

"What happens now?" Andres asked. Bakura grinned as the Tauk shone brightly around Evelyn's neck. Shadows rose from the ground, wrapping around the couple until all I could see was the Millennium Tauk shining. The shadows and light disappeared at the same time leaving the chairs they had occupied empty. Bakura reached forward and seized the Tauk. I fell back against the wall, heart pounding so heavily that it was hard to breathe. I didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified.

"Damn, I didn't think we were going to make it out of that one." Marik laughed, "Next time only bet your own soul. Got it?"

Bakura smirked and rose from the table tossing the Tauk in the air and catching it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I rested my head on the overly plush pillow trying to relax. After dinner we had driven from the Trinidad's house to a hotel nearby. Bakura and Marik had talked about different possibilities for Shadow Games the majority of the time. Eventually dinner was ordered. I wasn't able to eat much, though I should have been starving since I had not eaten since breakfast in Egypt.

I rolled onto my side unable to sleep. The light from the window reflected off the Millennium Ring. An idea occurred to me. In order to summon Zorc, all of the Millennium Items needed to be put into the stone tablet. If even one of the Items were not there, then it would be impossible. I was in Japan and had enough money with me to get anywhere in the world.

I sat up knowing exactly what I was going to do. I leaned over Bakura praying that he would not wake up. It took a few attempts for me to summon the courage to reach for the Millennium Tauk that he wore around his neck along with the Ring. I held my breath as I unclasped the chain and slid it off his neck. He rolled onto his stomach- nearly sending me into hysterics- causing the Tauk to fall onto the bed. Fortunately it was not underneath Bakura.

I reached over him and lifted the Tauk, stuffing it into my pocket. _Halfway there._ I cheered myself on. I brushed Bakura's hair away from his neck and carefully untied the leather strap that held the Ring. It was a lot harder to do than I thought. The knot was really tight. But I was not going to risk pulling it over his head. After a long time the knot came undone. I tugged the Ring from beneath him, amazed that I had gotten that far. I reached into the suitcase and pulled out the airline miles card.

I pulled my shoes on, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. I was too antsy to do that. I unlatched the door and turned the knob, cursing inwardly as it creaked loudly while it opened. Neither woke up! I shut the door soundlessly behind me and walked down the hallway, stepping as softly as possible. When I had reached the exit I ran as fast as I could. I did not know where I was going yet; I just had to get as far away as possible. I ran through back alleys and side streets, avoiding as many people as possible.

The stitches in my side were crippling me by the time I reached a train station. I slowed down and caught my breath before I bought a ticket. The train would arrive at an airport; from there I was going to fly to Greece. I would find my dad and we would be able to keep away from Bakura and Marik forever. A few people looked strangely at me. At first I was really worried, but that was replaced by embarrassment. I was still wearing my pajamas, right. I looked out the windows expecting to see either Bakura or Marik at every stop. They were never there. My hopes rose. This might actually work.

I rushed to the door as soon as the train pulled up to my spot. I had to calm down a bit before I entered the airport. I would not want to look suspicious. I stepped through the doors and walked to the desk that sold the tickets. _I'm going to make it!_ I smiled and asked for a ticket to Greece.

"Why are you in your pajamas hun?" the seller asked.

"Um, it makes long flights more comfortable." I lied. She nodded believing me.

"That is a good idea. Enjoy your flight." She smiled and signaled for the next person in line to come up. My heart was in my throat the entire time as I awaited the plane's arrival. As soon as it took off, I'd be free of this. Relief flooded through me as the plane arrived and we were ushered into our seats.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as I waited for the plane to take off. I thought they would walk in at any second. They didn't. The plane took off and everything had worked out perfectly. So why did I feel so terrible?

I woke up with a start. _It was a dream._ I clarified. Just to make sure, I sat up and leaned over Bakura. I was relieved to see that he still had both the Items with him. _Why am I relieved? This should have been the most crushing thing in the world! I just dreamt that I got away and took the Items with me. Now I am glad that I didn't go?_

Bakura shouted and sat up quickly, knocking me over.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He demanded.

"Huh?" I blinked and sat back up.

"Why are you hovering over me while I'm sleeping? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he accused.

"Sorry." I muttered and rolled back onto my side of the bed. "Bad dream."

"So you hover above me?" He growled.

"Yeah." I mumbled into my pillow, praying that I wasn't going to wake up on an airplane to Greece. Bakura laughed, shaking his head and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer.

"You're very strange." Bakura snickered.

I smiled and pulled myself closer, closing my eyes and dozed off.

**A/N There we go. So, tell me what you think. I have to go to bed now because I have a freaking doctor's appointment in the morning! Wee fun. I will hopefully get the next chapter up sooner than this one took. I have the next chapter of Jealous half-written so it'll be up soon. Just so all of you know, this is Jade writing. Just want to make sure you know. Okay enough yammering. Leave some feedback and I'll be happy. Don't leave feedback and you will be stuck in the Molasses Swamp -which I don't own- until you draw the card you need to get out. Which will be a very long time since I doubt you have a Candyland game next to your computer/laptop. See ya**


	5. A Theif's Game

**A/N Finally, after much thought and freaking out, I have finally come up with an idea for this. I have been struck with inspiration! Thank you short story section in American Lit haha! Hope you guys are still into this, because the chapters will be coming a lot quicker now. After this chapter there will be about four more chapters until the epic climax. Hope you guys are pumped! Enough of my rambling, let's get onto the story.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own YuGiOh or any of the characters. I wish I owned the Millennium Items... but I don't...**

"You're very strange." I laughed, rolling onto my side. I looked at the clock, 3:30 am. I sighed, wretchedly annoyed with this situation. I propped myself up on the bed looking out the window. Time was passing too slowly. Yet I could feel that time was running out. Nothing could properly explain how I had managed to escape death once again. Nothing except 'sheer luck'. I smirked, rising to my feet. Nothing could stop me this time. The pharaoh, Atem, was long gone in another realm. The only fools who would know to oppose me stood no chance. That much was made clear after our run in with the afore mentioned imbeciles in Egypt.

Lights from the passing cars shone through the flimsy hotal curtains casting shadows on the room. I watched the shadows creeping across the room, reflecting off every possible surface. Assuming that this had taken an hour or so I looked back to the clock.

3:31. I let out my breath through my clenched teeth. Another light shone through the room, this one seeming to be much closer than the ones that shone from outside. I scanned the room for the source of light. A grin spread across my face. The Millennium Ring was glowing, one of the spikes were pointing towards the door. A Millennium Item was near by.

Now, _this_ was the proper terrain for a theif such as myself. Slipping in during the twilight hours, concealed by the shadows of the moon to steal. Not a single person would know of the deed until it was far too late, if at all.

I changed quickly and stepped out of the room. I shut hte door softly behind me, not caring to wake the room's occupants, I did not need them to get in my way.

I followed the direction the Ring pointed in not making a sound as I walked. I entered the lobby spotting the Millennium Item in an instant. At the check-in a brown-haired female looking about Ryou's age stood holding the Rod. The receptionist typed someting into the computer with a blank stare, reached into the desk, and held a room key out to the girl. She had apparently used the Rod to get herself a hotel room. I snickered under my breath as I stepped back into the shadows, allowing the child to pass without having spotted me. I slipped down the hallway stalking the girl.

"Whose there?" she asked, spinning around, her eyes scanning the hallway. I stepped out of the shadows, the glow from the Ring one illuminating my face.

"I see you have figured out that that is no ordinary item, haven't you?" I asked, crossing my arms. This might be fun. Playing against one who knew the item's power to an extent would offer quite a challenge. Though I knew very well that she would stand no chance against myself.

"Who are you?" She demanded, holding the Millennium Rod in front of her as an insolent threat. I tapped on my ring.

"I suppose you could say I am a collector of sorts." I sneered. I was not going to let out too much information to this child. She did not need to know the full story behind the items.

"Well you're gonna have to look somewhere else. I'm not giving this baby up." the teen declared swaggering up to her door and sliding the key in. She tried to open the lock but was unable to. "What the hell? The moron must've given me the wrong key." she grumbled pushing past me. She soon reappeared walking down the hallway behind me. I kept my back to her, a smirk pulling at my lips. "Wh-wh-what just happened?" she stammered, sounding as if she had just witnessed the impossible. _I suppose that is understandable being that she has seen just that._ I chuckled and turned to face the other, a smug smile plastered to my face.

"So it seems you do not know as much about your item's power as you think you do." I taunted, laughing at the look of utter confusion that washed over her face.

"You did this?" she asked, incredulous. I raised an eyebrow and grinned. "How?" she demanded, stepping forward, the purple fog shifting around her feet as she walked.

"Let's play a game. If you win, I will personally teach you everything that that item of yours can do." I offered, the shadows now engulfing the hallway, creeping and climbing up the walls. The girl's focus shifted from me to the Shadows as she spoke.

"How about you tell me and I won't destroy your mind." she snarled holding the Millennium Rod out once more. I lifted one hand and placed it on my Millennium Ring. As I did so, the Ring glowed fericously sending a beam of light at the teen, thrusting her against the wall. The Rod fell from her hand and clattered to the ground.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" I jeered, stepping forward. The girl glared heatedly at me.

"Fine. I'll play. What game is it?" she asked, she hit the ground with a small thud. "Mph." she grunted, glaring at me as she lifted the item from the ground.

"Tell me your name." I ordered lithely, leaning against the wall. She stood a few inches shorter than me.

"Samantha." the teen spat reluctantly, resentment shining through her eyes. I nodded once and placed my hand on the Millennium Ring. A light flashed through the room with blinding intensity. Samantha gasped, shielding her eyes with her hand. I threw my head back, closing my eyes and laughed. Without having to watch I knew the room had been transformed. It would now resemble that of an indoor city. I opened my eyes and looked to the teen. "Wh-what?" she blinked a few times, her tough outer shell cracking for a moment. She spun back around to face me, one hand placed on her hip, the other holding the Rod out in a way she thought to seem threatening. "So what's the game?" she asked again, forcing a tone of impatience through her awe-struck voice.

"The rules are very simple. In this realm, time has no effect. Hours can fly by in here but in the outside world, only minutes will pass." I motioned around. Everything stood completely still, no sound was present aside from my voice.

"So what? Get to the game so I can learn how to control this thing." Samantha tapped her foot on the ground repeatedly. I was beginning to grow irritated with her insolence.

"You will hide. I will give you three hours to find a proper hiding place. If I cannot find you in twenty four hours, you win." I explained, turning to motion around the "city". "You can hide anywhere, you are also allowed to use your Millennium Rod in any way that you see fit. But that means I can use my own item." I held up the Millennium Ring.

"In three hours I could be anywhere. You don't have a chance. If you want to teach me how to use this "Millennium Rod", stop fooling around and just teach me already." she laughed, obviously thinking that this game was just a time killer. That I honestly intended on teaching her how to use the item.

"I do not plan on losing. Are you ready to start?" I asked, a shadow engulfing me, blocking off my sight. I leaned back comfortably.

"I'll see you in twenty four hours." She declared cockily, I heard her footsteps getting further and further away.

I yawned and closed my eyes. This was going to be fun. I waved my hand in front of the Millennium Ring, time inside the "cacoon" speeding up. What to Samantha felt to be three hours was only three seconds to me. The "cacoon" opened and I stepped out looking around. As I had expected, she was no where in sight.

"Ready or not, here I come." I shouted, my voice echoing off the silence. I walked in a stright line, turning right as soon as I had reached the first set of buildings. It is in human nature to always go right. This was all a mind game, I was all but certain that I could find her without having to ever use my Millennium Ring. My footsteps bounced off the walls. The silence that surrounded me was maddening. I knew I would be able to hear anything, yet I heard nothing.

I continued forward not bothering to look to my right or left. No human would stay this close. It would be "too much of a risk". No, Samantha was far from here, she in fact, was more than likely still running farther. That was fine. I turned to my right and opened a door. Nothing was visible except for a purple and black fog. I stepped in, feeling the shadows suck me the rest of the way in. I lost all my senses and could no longer control my thoughts. The Shadows had opened one of the many portals of this realm. With the Millennium Ring's omnipotent power however, I was certain that it would take me to the correct portal. When I opened my eyes I was standing outside of a completely different building.

This city was different from those in the mortal realm. Every door leads to another place. The whole city was connected by these rooms. To the untrained eye, the city expanded forever and into infinity. Though, in reality it was the size of a single room. This was all one maze. Samantha could have run forever, and never been any further from me. Yet with her three hours, her overconfidence was bound to have tripled. If she had looked around, she would have figured this much out as well.

I looked up, my eyes scanning over the millions of windows. A grin spread across my face. I knew exactly where she was. It was not hard to figure out. I walked into the building through the revolving door.

"Three hours have passed Samantha. Let's see if you can stay hidden for more than ten minutes." I called. Psyching her out would be easy. When a mortal felt threatened or stressed, mistakes would come far easier. I only needed for her to make one mistake. I was in the same building as her and now she knew that. She could run from the building, but then I would be able to see her. She was completely trapped. The building was unnaturally silent, another sign that she was here.

I walked up the stairs, taking care so that each time my foot hit the stair the sound would echo through the building. The scenery around me changed quickly. I was now standing in the midst of a carnival. Shadow beings were walking around and off-key music was playing. It sounded as though all of the sounds were melting. This was not my own doing. Samantha had figured out that nothing about this realm was permanent, that with a Millennium Item she could alter anything she wanted. Now with sound, she could conceal herself more. _She knows more than I thought. Being able to use the Rod like this is a very rare attribute._ I mused. It was clear that she was not the ignorant fool I had mistaken her for.

The ground beneath me changed into the seat of a roller coaster. It lunged forward throwing me off balance. I landed in the seat and clung on. Instantly the roller coaster plummetted down a ninety degree slope. I flew backwards, my back hitting the back of the seat, knocking my breath out on contact. I was barely able to keep my grip on the bar in front of me.

At the bottom of the drop was a masquerade of hideous shadow monsters. I released my grip on the cart and jumped, the cart ran straight into a monster's mouth. With watching the incredible speed of the roller coaster I almost felt as if I were floating. That feeling was short lived. I was only a few feet from one of the monsters. One reached up with hooked claws. In seconds I would be in its grasp. I lifted my arm up and caught the Millennium Ring in my hand. It glowed brightly and reverted the area back to the interior of the building. I landed easily on the ground, unscathed.

"I found out how to change this place, and control time. You have one minute left." the girl's voice boomed through the building. She had opened a portal, one in which time was slower than that of the portal we were in now. I cursed under my breath and straightened up. This game was far more challenging than I had expected. A computerized voice echoed through the room, counting down the time I had left until the game would end.

I quickened my pace now all but sprinting towards the location I could now only pray she had remained in. Finally I reached the floor I had assumed to be correct. Catching my balance quickly I hurdled through the hall way and pulled open the door. I was now met with a hall of mirrors. Samantha's reflection bounced from mirror to mirror. I clenched my fists, trying to find which one was real. I did not have enough time for a mistake.

"Ten seconds nine seconds eight seconds...." the voice called off, Samantha's face turned into a grin.

"Of all the questions you asked-" I started turning and reaching my hand out and grabbed onto her shoulder, the room changed back into the hotel's hallway upon contact. "You never asked what would happen if you lost." I sneered.

Samantha looked frustrated originally but now looked scared. "Wh-what happens?" she asked in a gasp. I snickered and released my grip on her shoulder. My Millennium Ring was glowing brightly.

"I take your Millennium Rod" I reached out and took the item from her "and-"

"And what?" she asked, looking horrified.

"And you are never seen again."

A light flashed through the room, once again too intense to see. Samantha screamed at the top of her lungs but was cut off by an invisible force. When the light faded Samantha was gone, all that was left was her room key. I spun the Rod around in my hand, the Shadow Realm's fog dissipating completely.

I turned back towards my hotel room. The sound of televisions and other signs of life reached my ears. Triumph swelled in my chest as I grinned, laughing under my breath.

I pulled my own key out of my pocket and slipped it into the door. Once I heard the click I pulled the door open and stepped in. I kicked off my shoes and walked back towards the bed, my prize still in hand. I dropped down on the bed, laying flat on my back.

"Bakura? What did you do? What happened? How did you get that?" Ryou gasped, sitting up in bed. I smirked and lifted up the Millennium Rod, placing it against his forehead "What?-"

"Shh, go back to bed." I whispered, the Rod glowing faintly. Ryou's eyes went blank and slid shut. I caught him as he fell forward, laying him on his back and placing the Rod on the desk next to the Millennium Tauk. I rolled back onto my side.

"Only four left." I whispered, brushing the hair out of Ryou's face. "Then this will all be over."

**A/N HOLY CRAP! Guys I was watching the Grudge 2 while I wrote this. MAN! That movie was COOL! Back to the fic, alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter. If you didn't get the whole city thing, think of that Mario game where it is all a maze. You go through one room and come out another but it ends up being connected to the door that was ten doors down from where you started. That kinda hting. Me, a video game addict? No way... Haha, so anyway, leave some feedback and i'll be a happy camper. That's right, i'll go camping happily. ^_^ Haha See ya~**


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